Mechanical batter



C.A H. MUCKENHlRN. MECHANICAL BATTER.

C. H. IVIU'CKENHIRN.

MECHANICAL BATTER.

APPLICATION 1115011111526. 1919. RENEwED DEC. 20.1921.

09, Patented J 1 1ly 18, 1922.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

gime/nto@ MECHAN|GA Ly BATTER. APPLICATION F1LED1UNE215, 1919. RENE'wED Dsc. 20,1921. 1.423.009.

vC. H. MUCKENHIRN.

Eatented July 18, 1922. 5 sHEET`ssHEET 3.

.i. ililiiv Mumwoz:

c. H, MucKlNHRN.` MECHANICAL BATTER.

` lAPPLICATIONy FILED JUNE 26,' 1919. RENEWED DEC. 20,1921. 1,423,009.- Patented July 18, i922.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

I3. II. IIIIUC'KEIIIIIIIIII.

MECHANICAL BATT-ER.

APPLICATION FILED IIIIIEz, I9I9. IIEIIEwEIJ Dec. 2o. I92I.

19423009, Patented July 18, 192211 5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

`ing and forming action lto yen /rianne n. ir'ucirnnnrnn, or nn'inorr, Micrireniv.

MECHANICAL narran.

Maanen To all au from :it may concern Be it lrnown that l, @Harmes l-l. Moonen HIRN, afcitizen of the `United States, residingy at Detroit, in the ycounty of l/Vayne and State 'or' Michigan, haveinvented Vcertain new and useful Improvements in ll/lechanie al Batters, of which the following is a specilication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing. f v

This inventionprelates to an improved mechanical batter or means that process wares known as batting out which consists in the iiattening or spreading outito the desired thickness a mass of clay usually in the forni of a cylinder prior to the flattening process. l I A Accordingv to the present practice, this batting out process or method of preparing the bat namelythe slab or sheet of clay fis performed by. hand.r The roll ofy clay is thrown on a plaster block and the presser or operator llattens the roll. by pounding and slapping it with a tool of general circular form provided-with ahandle permitting theuse of both liands'in work-` ing the same, the slapping or.pounding7 operationV being gradually` applied to the roll beginningat the center of the roll and working to the -outer edge thereof as the roll or mass is gradually flattened out to the desired thickness. lin this treatment, the plastic roll or clay, while being altered in its general form, is constantly pressed or forced together. As iswell recognized in the art plastic clay can only be worked in this way,

it must never be pulled or stretched.

llhe object of the present invention is to provide an improved mechanical batter or means iorperforming the batting out processv in a manner analogous to the hand method without stretching or pulling the clay ywhereby the time and cost of' ymanufacture oitclayl wares is materially reduced,`

and a more uniform product obtained'. l

A further Objectis to provide improved mechanical means for this purpose capable of being adjusted orsetto produce bats or sheets or clay et delinite,predetermined and different thicknesses and shapes; to `operate on rolls or masses of' clay of Varying sizes; and tovaryfor modify the pressi suit clays ot diiierent degrees of plasticity.

The invention, with other objects and ad- Specification of Letters Patent.

for performing" in the manufacture .of clay'y f ating ,means positions or' the forming rindpressing mempressing apparatus.

f shape applying a constant Patented July 18. 1922. Renewed December 20, 1921. Serial No. 523,772. vantages thereofand the particular" construction and arrangement or parts comprising the same will be understood from the following detail description, when considered 'in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming ing one embodiment of the invention.'

In the drawings:

Figure l is a vertical sectional view of an apparatusv constructed in accordance with the present invention. Y

Figs. 2, 3 anda` are transverse ysections on the lines` 25-2, 3-3, @-4, respectively, of Figure l. i 4

yFigs. 5 andG are'detailsectionalviews of the pressing and forming member and the` lower portion of the support and actutheret'or illustrating different l b 6./ berin producing bats of different form.

yFig. 7 is a vdetail side elevation of a roll or mass of clay in position on the block for treatment by the forming and pressing member, and l f Fig. vS is a top plan view of the block or moldV box and a. slab of clay after the same has been operated upon by the forming and Fig. 9 is a detail side elevation of the drive connections. f

The invention comprehends a mechanically operated clay pressing and forming member that tilts or rocks from side to side in dilierent vertical planesy about a circle, adapted to gradually change a `roll or mass of clay from a roughly'cylindrical to a ilattened or sheet form while constantly pressing or forcing tlie'inass of clay, without stretching or pulling it, by pressure aty approXimately the center of the-mass and gradually vworking `the same outwardly yfrom kthe center.

l/Vhile 'l have illustrated in the drawings a specific embodiment of ythe invention, it will of course be understood that changes in and obvious variations of the particular construction shown, andthe'carrying out of the invention in other forms as ,will appeal to those skilled `in the art and `falling vwithin the scope of the appended claims, may be practiced without departing 'from the spirit of the invention. y

Referring to a detail'y descriptionof' the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout part hereof and illustrat-y the several views, 1 designates an arm projecting laterally from a main vertical supporting post or standard 2 and carrying a tubular columnl 3, in which is arranged a vertical rod or shaft 1 on the lower end of which is mounted the clay pressing and forming member 5. The clay pressing and forming member 5 is of 'general bowl like or cup shaped formation and has a convex working face G, shown in the drawings, as of general conical shape. A universal joint connection is provided'between the lower `end of the rod or shaft 1 and the member 5 centrally and at the upper side thereof, to permit of free oscillation'or rocking movement of said member from sidevto side in different vertical planes about a circle. By preference, the universal joint connection is of the =ball rand socket type. In the drawings, the shaft 4 is shown provided at its lower end with a spherical head or ball 7 engaging a spherical socket 8 on the clay pressing and forming member, the socket 8 having parts 8', 82 secured in place by screws 83 providinga readily detachable construction. I

The clay pressing and forming member 5 is rocked or oscillated by a revolving and forwardly moving part bearing thereagainst. This revolving actuating part is shown, in the drawings, as an arm 9 provided with a roller 10,'which engages a circular track 11 on the upper outer marginal portion of the pressing and forming member 5, the track 11 having curved side walls 11` and the roller 10 being formed with a transversely curved track engaging outer face 10. The arm 9 is fixed to the lower end of a tubular spindle 12 surrounding the rod or shaft t. Rotary motion is transmitted to the tubular spindle 12 through the medium of a beveled pinion 13 supported in a bearing 14e carried by an arm 15; which is secured to the standard 2. The tubular spindle 12 is free to slide longitudinally through a central opening in the pinion 13, the parts being coupled to rotate together by a key or feather 13 engaging a longitudinal slot 12 in the outer face of the spindle. The tubular spindle 12 and arm 9 are supported and moved longitudinally by a sleeve 16, which slidably fits between the tubular spindle 12 and the inner wall of the tubular column 3. The sleeve 16, which is held from rotation by a pin 17 engages a longitudinal slot 18 in the sleeve, is moved longitudinally by a worm pinion 19 supported for rotation in a bearing 2O on the tubular column and meshing with a worm `or thread 21 on the upper portion of the sleeve 16. Vilhcn the sleeve 16 is fed downwardly, the lower end thereof will engage an anti-friction bearing 22 on a shoulder 23 of the tubular spindle 12 and advance the arm 9. When the sleevel 1G is retracted the upper end thereof abuts against an annular collar 23 on the upper portion of the tubular spindle 12, the latter rbeing carried upwardly with the sleeve.

The rod or shaft l on which the pressing and forming member 5 is mounted is given longitudinal movement by a rotary worm gear 24E supported in a bearing 25 on an arm 26. The rod or shaft has a squared upper part a engaging a squared socket 27 supported by an arm 23 to hold the same against rotation.

The tubular spindle 12 is adapted to be advanced or moved downwardly more rapidly than the rod or shaft il. For this purpose the form pinion 19 and gear 2O are of greater pitch than the pitch of the worm pinion 2-'1 and gear of the rod or shaft 4t. Independent drive connections are also provided for the pinions 19, 2a and beveled pinion 13, with clutches and change speed gearing, affording separate controls for the advance movement of the rod or shaft 4 and the sleeve 16, and the rotary movement of the tubular spindle 12, said drive connections and change speed gearing may be of any approved type, that illustrated in `the drawings, Fig. 9, by way of example, including horizontal shafts 33, 34 land On the inner ends of the shafts 33 and are worms 30 31 meshing respectively with the yworm pinions 19 and 24, and on the inner end of the shaft is a beveled pinion 32 meshing with the beveled pinion 13. Along the outer portions of the shafts 33, 34 and are counter-shafts 3T, 38 and 39, and interposed between the shafts 33, 34 and and the counter-shafts are frictional change speed gears A, B, C. D, D1, D2 designate. clutches in the counter-shafts, the clutches and the frictional change speed gearing being of well known construction and only indicated in a general way. Belts /1-0, -11 and 4 2 engage pulleys 43, 4st and t5 on the counter-shafts 3T, 33 and 39 and connect the same with a main drive pulley 4-6, which may be driven from any suitable source of power, for instance as shown, au electric motor 4117.

designates thc block or mould box positioned below the pressing and forming member and adapted to receive the roll of clay to be batted out, said box having the usual plaster lining 36 and being provided with a mold cavity 37 which is shown in the present instance, of a shape to form a foot for water closet ttings. In the operation of the apparatus a roll or mass of clay having been placed upon the block or mold box 35 the tubular spindle 12 is rotated and fed forwardly, and the rod or shaft et is also advanced but more slowly than the tubular spindle, the pressing and forming member` being oscillated or rocked from side to side continuously in different planes about a circle. The pressing and forming` member 5 constantly forces andA presses the clay while spreading and flattening the roll, a constant pressure being ap-y plied approximately at they centerof the mass and the same being gradually worked outwardly from` the center, without pulling constant pressure. y s i By regulating and varying the forward movements of the rod or shaft 4 and the tubular spindle 12 relatively to each other Athe thickness of the cbat or slab of clay produced may be varied.

part of the working faceof the member, a

bat or slab thicker at its centerthan atthe edges will be produced, while if the arm 9 be controlled soy that the outer marginal portion of the pressing and forming member is A depressed less than the'horizontal plane of the extreme lower central part thereof, a

bat or slab thinnery at the center than at the edge will'be formed, variations in ther thickness,iextent of area, and shape of the bat or slab produced, over a wide range, maybe obtained by varying the relative movement of the tubular spindlefl ,andi shaft 4,v and also bymodifying the shape M ofthe working face of the pressing and forming member. When the advance movement of the arm 9 and the pressingand treme lower part or apex of vthe conical working face thereof, a perfectly fiat bat` will be produced.

It will be noted that they invention provides mechanical means of a very simple and effective nature that is capable of performing the batting out operation in a manner analogous to and possessing all of the advantages of the particular treatment of the laborious hand method, whereby the time and cost of production of claywares is reduced to a considerable extent, and a more uniform product obtained. The apparatus also makes it possible to produce bats or sheets of definite predetermined and variable thicknesses and shapes, which, as will be appreciated, are features of considerable practical importance.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus of the class described, including a clay pressing and Aforming member, and means for oscillating said member progressively in different vertical planes.

2. An apparatus of the class described, including a clay pressing and forming mem- If the tubularv spindle 12 is stopped at a pointk where-they ber, means for feeding the member forwardly and for oscillating the same from side tosidein .different vertical planes.

An apparatus of the class described,

lincludii'ig a clay:pressingy and formingmember, means for n ioving ythe member forwardly and? forsimultaneously rocklngr the progressively jin different vertical planes.

wardly; at different speeds. y

5. Anapparatus of: the class described, including a clay pressing and forming ymember, means for oscillating `said-member progressively in vertical planes about a circle, and automatic means for feeding the same forwardly.-l f .j A. y n

6. An apparatus of the class described, includingy a clay pressing and forming member,jmeans for oscillating said memberk progressively in, vertical yplanes about 4 a v circle,

and automatic means vfor feeding the member forwardly at different speeds.,

7. An `apparatus of the class described, including a claypressing and forming' member, having a convex l. working face, and

means for oscillating said member from side to side indifferent vertical planes.

8.An apparatus of the class described, including aclay-pressing and forming member having a substantially conicalworking lfaceand means for,V oscillatingsaid member from side tofside in different vertical planes. forming member 5 is such, that the latter f is depressed at its marginal. portion to a point in-the horizontal? plane of the ex-y 9,y An apparatus ,ofy the class described, including a clay pressing and forming member,-and means for rocking said. member` yprogressively in. different vertical planes,

part engaging the track, and means for revolving said members and for feeding one of the members forwardly.

11. An apparatus of the class described, including a clay pressing and forming member, actuating means for the member including a circular trackon the member, a part engaging the track, and means for simultaneously revolving and feeding said part forwardly. y

12. An apparatus of the class described, including a clay pressing and forming member, capable of rocking movement in different vertical planes, a support for the member adjustable to advance the same, actuating means for the member including a circular track on the member, a revolving part 4L.; 'Anapparatusg of the class described,l including a claypressing and forming member, `means for'oscillating said .member progressively invvertical planes about a circle, s v.and means for feeding the member for- .ety

engaging the track, and means for adjusting said support to advance the clay pressing and forming member to advance said part at different rates of speed.

13. An apparatus of the class described, including a clay pressing and forming member of general bowl like formation, a vertical supporting rod for the member, a universal joint connection between the lower end of said rod and the member centrally and at the upper side thereof, means for rocking the pressing and forming member in different vertical planes, said means including a circular track on the outer part of said member, an arm mounted for revolution and having a roller engaging thesaid track, and means for revolving the arm and feeding the same downwardly.

14k. An apparatus of the class described, including a clay pressing and forming member of general bowl like formation, a vertical supporting rod for the member, a universal joint connection between the lower end of said rod and the member centrally and at the upper side thereof, said support being vertically adjustable, means for adjusting the supporting rod to feed the pressing and forming member downwardly, means for rocking the pressing and forming member in different vertical planes, said means including a circular track on the outer part of said member, an arm mounted for revolution and having a roller engaging the said track, `and means for revolving the arm and feeding the same downwardly.

15. An apparatus of the class described, including a clay pressing and forming member having a convex working face, a support for the member, a universal joint connection between the support and said member centrally thereof, and means for rocking the member progressively in different vertical planes about a circle.

16. A n apparatus of the class described, including aclay pressing and formmgmember having a convex working face, a support for the member, a universal joint connection between the support and said member centrally thereof, and means for rocking the member progressively in different vertical planes about a circle, said means including a circular track on the outer part of said member, an arm mounted for revolution and having a roller engaging the said track.v

17. An apparatus of the class described, including a clay pressing and forming member having a convex working face, a support for the member, a universal oint connection between the support and said member centrally thereof, and means for rocking the member progressively in different vertical planes about a circle, said means including a circular track on the outer part of said member, an arm mounted for revolution and having a roller engaging the said track, the circular track having curved side walls. y

18. An apparatus of the class described, including a clay pressing and forming member having a convex working face, a support for the member, a universal joint connection betweenthe.support and said member centrally thereof, and means for rocking the member progressively in different vertical planes about a circle, said means including a circular track on the outer part of said member, an arm mounted for revolution and having a roller engaging the said track, the circular track having curved side walls, and the roller having a transversely curved track engaging face.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses. CHARLES H. MUCKENHIRN. litnesses y Gnonon D. RILEY,y Jas. E. HUTornNsoN. 

